Nehemiah 7 Background Information with Maps and Images (Picture Study Bible - Nehemiah) Free Bible Online

Nehemiah 7

1 - Now when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed,
2 - I put my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the governor of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem; for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.
3 - I said to them, "Don't let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut the doors, and you bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, everyone in his watch, with everyone near his house."
4 - Now the city was wide and large; but the people were few therein, and the houses were not built.
5 - My God put into my heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be listed by genealogy. I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found this written in it:
6 - These are the children of the province, who went up out of the captivity of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and who returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, everyone to his city;
7 - who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah.The number of the men of the people of Israel:
8 - The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two.
9 - The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two.
10 - The children of Arah, six hundred fifty-two.
11 - The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred eighteen.
12 - The children of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.
13 - The children of Zattu, eight hundred forty-five.
14 - The children of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty.
15 - The children of Binnui, six hundred forty-eight.
16 - The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty-eight.
17 - The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty-two.
18 - The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-seven.
19 - The children of Bigvai, two thousand sixty-seven.
20 - The children of Adin, six hundred fifty-five.
21 - The children of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.
22 - The children of Hashum, three hundred twenty-eight.
23 - The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty-four.
24 - The children of Hariph, one hundred twelve.
25 - The children of Gibeon, ninety-five.
26 - The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, one hundred eighty-eight.
27 - The men of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight.
28 - The men of Beth Azmaveth, forty-two.
29 - The men of Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty-three.
30 - The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one.
31 - The men of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two.
32 - The men of Bethel and Ai, one hundred twenty-three.
33 - The men of the other Nebo, fifty-two.
34 - The children of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.
35 - The children of Harim, three hundred twenty.
36 - The children of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.
37 - The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-one.
38 - The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred thirty.
39 - The priests: The children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.
40 - The children of Immer, one thousand fifty-two.
41 - The children of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven.
42 - The children of Harim, one thousand seventeen.
43 - The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the children of Hodevah, seventy-four.
44 - The singers: the children of Asaph, one hundred forty-eight.
45 - The gatekeepers: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, one hundred thirty-eight.
46 - The temple servants: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,
47 - the children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon,
48 - the children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Salmai,
49 - the children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar,
50 - the children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda,
51 - the children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Paseah.
52 - The children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephushesim,
53 - the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,
54 - the children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,
55 - the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Temah,
56 - the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.
57 - The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,
58 - the children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,
59 - the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth Hazzebaim, the children of Amon.
60 - All the temple servants, and the children of Solomon's servants, were three hundred ninety-two.
61 - These were those who went up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not show their fathers' houses, nor their offspring, whether they were of Israel:
62 - The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred forty-two.
63 - Of the priests: the children of Hobaiah, the children of Hakkoz, the children of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name.
64 - These searched for their genealogical records, but couldn't find them. Therefore were they deemed disqualified and removed from the priesthood.
65 - The governor told that they should not eat of the most holy things until a priest stood up to minister with Urim and Thummim.
66 - The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,
67 - besides their male servants and their female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven; and they had two hundred forty-five singing men and singing women.
68 - Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five;
69 - their camels, four hundred thirty-five; their donkeys, six thousand seven hundred twenty.
70 - Some from among the heads of fathers' households gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury one thousand darics of gold, fifty basins, and five hundred thirty priests' garments.
71 - Some of the heads of fathers' households gave into the treasury of the work twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand two hundred minas of silver.
72 - That which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold, plus two thousand minas of silver, and sixty-seven priests' garments.
73 - So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their cities.When the seventh month had come, the children of Israel were in their cities.

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Nehemiah Images and Notes

The Book of Nehemiah

Nehemiah 1:7-9 - The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and [certain] men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province [are] in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also [is] broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

Nehemiah 13:1-3 - On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever; Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing. Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.

The Old Testament - A Brief Overview

Bible Survey - Nehemiah
Hebrew Name - Nechemiyah "Nehemiah"
Greek Name - Neemias (Greek form of the Hebrew)
Author - Nehemiah (Ezra and Nehemiah were treated as one book in Jewish Tradition)
Date - From 455-420 BC Approximately
Theme of Nehemiah - The rebuilding of Jerusalem
Types and Shadows - In Nehemiah Jesus is the one who led the captives out

ARCHAEOLOGY

Tomb of Cyrus the Great at Pasargadae

The Tomb of Cyrus at Pasargadae
"O man, whoever you are and wherever you come from, for I know that you will come--I am Cyrus, son of Cambyses, who founded the Empire of the Persians and was king of the East. Do not grudge me this spot of earth which covers my body." - Cyrus

This tomb of the great Persian ruler, Cyrus, was discovered in 1951 at the ruins of Pasargadae (south-central Iran). Over 2500 years old, the tomb is in decent condition, made of white limestone and stands a total of 36 feet high. The tomb itself is 18 feet high resting on a 6 level base, also 18 feet high. It was built like a Ziggurat with Ionian and Lydian features. There is a small entrance and double doors leading to a room with no windows which once contained the "golden sarcophagus" of Cyrus, it is now an empty shell. Five huge stones make up its roof, which was slanted (gabled) to shed heavy rains. These Nordic gables were the architectural style of lands far to the north. The inscription was seen and recorded by Plutarch in AD 90.


Summary of The Book of Nehemiah

In Jewish tradition the books of Ezra and Nehemiah are regarded as one book, and it appears that they were originally two books because of the identical material in Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7. Nehemiah made his journey to Jerusalem in about 445 BC, and he was not a priest or a scribe like Ezra was but he was a governor with authority given to him by the Persian king Artaxerxes to rebuild the walls and the city of Jerusalem for the Jewish people. He was originally cupbearer for the king of Persia (Nehemiah 2:1). Nehemiah completed the task in 52 days despite all the opposition from the foreigners who it settled in the land of Judah during the captivity.

The book of Nehemiah shows how God fulfilled his words written by the prophets concerning the return of the people of Israel from 70 years of captivity, and returned again to the land of their inheritance. In order to accomplish his divine will he change the hearts of the great kings of the ancient world, Cyrus Darius and Artaxerxes of Persia. He also worked through leaders like Joshua Zerubbabel Haggai Zechariah Ezra and Nehemiah in order to rebuild the wall of the city of Jerusalem and reestablish the law of Moses. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah reveal to us the history of the Jews between 536 BC and 430 BC. The book of Nehemiah covers the period from 445 BC for the next 12 years.

Quick Reference Map
 Map of Jerusalem Restored by Nehemiah
Map of Jerusalem Restored by Nehemiah (Click to Enlarge)

The contents of the two books may be analyzed as follows :

Outline of the Book of Nehemiah

1 ) Nehemiah's journey to Jerusalem, made possible by Artaxerxes, for the purpose of re-building the wall (Nehemiah 1-2).
2 ) A list of the builders and the repairing of the gate (Nehemiah 3).
3 ) The rebuilding of the wall in spite of op-position led by Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem (Nehemiah 4:1-7:4).
4 ) The register of those who returned with Zerubbabel (Nehemiah 7).
5 ) The public reading and exposition of the book of the Law (Nehemiah 8).
6 ) The national repentance and the covenant of obedience (Nehemiah 9:1-10 :39).
7 ) Lists of inhabitants (Nehemiah 11:1-12:26).
8 ) Dedication of the wall and organization of the temple services (Nehemiah 12:27-47).
9 ) Nehemiah's reforms of abuses connected with tithes, the sabbath and mixed marriages (Nehemiah 13).

In order to gain a complete picture of the history of this period, these two books should be examined also with the writings of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

Quick Reference Maps - Nehemiah

Jerusalem Rebuilt by Nehemiah - The book of Nehemiah records in the third chapter a description of the course of the walls, beginning on the northeast side of Jerusalem and moving counterclockwise. His intention was not to be too exhaustive in the details.

Nehemiah Maps

Zerubbabel and Ezra's Journey to Restore Jerusalem - Zerubbabel, of the house of David heeded the decree of Cyrus to allow the Jews to return and restore Jerusalem and later more Jews including Ezra and Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem.

The Persian Empire in the 6th Century BC - The great rulers of the Persian Empire during the 6th century BC were Cyrus the Great, Cambyses, and Darius I the Great.

The Persian Empire in the 5th Century BC - During the 5th centuries BC the Persian Empire expanded under various rulers: Darius I, Xerxes I (Ahasuerus), and Artaxerxes I.

The First Day. Light.

Nehemiah Resources

The Return From Babylon

More About the Book of Nehemiah
Nehemiah in the Picture Study Bible
Timeline of the Ancient World
Back to the Old Testament
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Bibliography Information

Free Bible Online - Picture Study Bible, King James Version. New York: American Bible Society: www.free-bible.com, 1995-2013. Bible History Picture Study Bible. Nov 21, 2024.

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